Thomas and Charles Welch and the transition from wine to 'unfermented fruit
of the vine'
Changing wine into grape juice
By Daniel Benedict
Most United Methodists are aware that one of our practices is the use of
unfermented juice of the grape for Holy Communion. While some other Protestant
bodies share this practice, the possibility of the practice goes back to the
late 19th century and a Methodist dentist named Thomas Bramwell Welch. See
http://www.welchs.com/company/company_history.html.
Apparently Welch had scruples about the use of wine and had heard of Louis
Pasteur's process of pasteurization of milk. Welch was successful in applying
the process to grape juice, and he began to use it in his church, where he was a
Communion steward.
His son, Charles Welch, was an enterprising Methodist layman (a dentist, like
his father) from southern New Jersey. He marketed the pasteurized grape juice to
temperance-minded evangelical Protestants as authentic biblical "wine." As word
spread and as the temperance movement grew among evangelical Protestant
churches, Welch left dentistry and produced Welch's Grape Juice commercially.
The impact of the temperance movement and the availability of the "unfermented
juice of the grape" can be traced in The United Methodist Book of Discipline and
actions of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the
Church of the United Brethren.
Methodist Episcopal Church
- The 1864 General Conference on temperance "recommends that in
all cases the pure juice of the grape be used in the celebration of
the Lord's Supper."
- The 1872 General Conference reaffirms its recommendation of
1864.
- The 1876 permissive rubric based on 1864 recommendation is added
at the head of Ritual for Holy Communion.
- In 1880, the General Conference added a semi-mandatory rubric
"let none but the pure juice of the grape be used in administering
the Lord's Supper, whenever practicable."
- In 1916, the General Conference adopted a mandatory rubric
(i.e., "whenever practicable" was deleted).
- The 1964 Book of Worship rubric is emphatic: "The pure,
unfermented juice of the grape shall be used." Note that the current
ritual texts and rubrics in our Hymnal and Book of Worship do not
explicitly define what form of the fruit of the grape shall be used.
The United Methodist Book of Worship does recognize that the
historic and ecumenical practice has been the use of wine, and the
use of the unfermented grape juice by The United Methodist Church
and its predecessors is an expression of pastoral concern for
recovering alcoholics, enables the participation of children and
youth, and supports the church's witness of abstinence. See the 1964
Book of Worship, page 28.
Church of the United Brethren in Christ
- The 1881 General Conference adds the recommendation to the
local church steward's job to provide elements for the Lord's
Supper - "and we earnestly recommend the use of unfermented
wine."
- The 1885 General Conference adds a semi-mandatory
recommendation to the disciplinary job description of local
church stewards to provide elements for the sacrament of the
Lord's Supper, "always securing, if at all possible, unfermented
wine."
- In 1889, the General Conference adopts a mandatory rubric -
"always securing unfermented wine."
- The MEC, South, apparently never adopted a recommendation or
rubric regarding wine in Communion. (Note: The writer of this
article has not researched the practice and history of The
Methodist Protestant or Evangelical Association/Church on this
matter.)
For more information on the use of grape juice in
communion:
- Betty O'Brien, "The Lord's Supper, Fruit of the Vine or
Cup of Devils," Methodist History 31/4 (July 1993) 203-223
and the companion piece, Betty O'Brien "The Lord's Supper:
Traditional Cup or Innovative Cups of individuality,"
Methodist History 32/2 (January 1994) 79-98.
- See also William Chazanof"s interesting history of the
Welch Corporation - Welch's Grape Juice: From Corporation to
Cooperative (Syracuse University Press, 1977).
- The General Board of Discipleship is grateful to Dr.
Kenneth E. Rowe, Methodist Librarian and Professor of Church
History at Drew University, for the historical research and
bibliographical information in this article.
Daniel Benedict directs of worship
resources for the General Board of Discipleship (P.O.
Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003; toll-free
telephone: 877-899-2780, ext 7072; e-mail:
dbenedict@gbod.org
).
© 2004
General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist
Church, PO Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003. All
rights reserved. Used with permission.
|
